


avian

by boulevards



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, POV Second Person, Self-Discovery, Travel, rip my inconsistent writing style
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2018-11-14 06:57:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11202804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boulevards/pseuds/boulevards
Summary: catch the wind in your sailsin which you set out on a research trip across the other six regions and find yourself along the way





	1. prologue

_FROM THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE LOBBY:_

Alola! Welcome to the **Akala Avian Center** , where you can find all twenty-nine species of bird Pokémon that live here in the Alola region. Visit the museum to learn about each of the unique species, as well as the rich history of the avian center and our conservation efforts. Then, step into a tropical forest of lush green to see all the colorful and fascinating birds in person. We’re open daily, from sunrise to sunset, so be sure to stop by whenever you have the time!

See an Emolga gliding around? She’s not a resident of the aviary (as she is a flying squirrel, not a bird), but likes to hang out in the trees. Feel free to say “hi” if you spot her!

Please, do _NOT_ feed the Pokémon! They have their own specific diets that keep them happy and healthy, and are fed throughout the day by the staff. Food from outside sources can disrupt their eating habits and potentially cause issues with their health.

This month’s featured bird is **Xatu**! This psychic- and flying-type Pokémon evolves from Natu. Xatu can stand very still for extended periods of time. Some biologists speculate that this is because Xatu can see into the past and the future at the same time. Can you find our Xatu in the aviary? (Hint: Xatu usually stands in a higher up place that is far from any disturbances.)

Rina will be away for the next six weeks. She is traveling to other regions to observe and collect information on species of bird Pokémon that are found outside of Alola. With this increase in fieldwork and research, the Akala Avian Center hopes to widen its scope of education and conservation. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask Alani at the front desk or any of the staff.

Want more? Visit our website _akala-avian.org_ for more news and information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _akala-avian.org_ is not an actual website, sorry
> 
> _edited 18 october 2018_


	2. alola

_“WHEREVER YOU ARE…”_

You wake before the sun.

That’s how it always is: sleep late, wake early, nap in the afternoon, repeat. (Your friends say that you’re crazy and your sleep schedule is insane. You can’t help but to agree.)

Every day, you leave home early in the morning—at the hour when no one is outside, let alone _awake_ —with your keys in hand and stroll the short distance to Lighthouse Point. (When it’s a little _too_ dark, you bring a flashlight.) There, while leaning against the wooden fence that prevents you from falling over the edge, you watch the sun as it peeks out above the horizon, tinting the sky and the ocean a beautiful array of vibrant colors. Shadows stretch and the land around you basks in the warm of the sun’s radiance. It’s calming to stand and watch the sunrise as the cool morning breeze weaves its way through your hair, freely dancing past without any cares. The multicolored ocean down below, a perfect reflection of the sky above, shifts and shivers like a never-ending piece of rippling fabric. Colors bleed and blend as the water hugs the side of the cliff face. The whole scene ignites some kind of lively feeling within you.

Sometimes, if he’s staying with you in Konikoni City instead of at his family farm in Paniola Town, you drag Kiawe out to the cliff to watch the sunrise with you. He is _not_ a morning person (especially before his coffee), even though he often pretends that he is. “How do you do this every single morning?” he once asked. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with waking up early, but how can you do it every day?” But, he still enjoys the sunrise. You can tell how his eyes get a little wider and how the corners of his mouth turn up the tiniest bit as the two of you walk back to your house after the sun fully ascends into the sky, breaking free from the horizon. (The part he _doesn’t_ enjoy is you incessantly poking him to wake him up so he doesn’t miss the event.)

The aviary opens right after sunrise. Following your trip up to the lighthouse, you make your way to the glass domed building to unlock the doors and set everything up. You rake through your daily checklist: turn the museum lights on, feed the birds, clean the floors, straighten up the information desk, update the bulletin board. Alani, your best friend and right-hand woman, usually arrives five minutes later to help.

The Akala Avian Center was founded by your grandparents: two kindred souls who had a love for birds and a passion for wildlife conservation. They took in injured bird Pokémon and gave them a sanctuary where they could recover before returning to the wild. Often times, the birds would go back to their previous environments, eager to reunite with family or friends. But, there were others stayed and made the aviary their new home. (Notably, a disgruntled Toucannon with a chipped beak who eventually, with another Toucannon, started his own family of gleefully chirping Pikipeks.) Two years after the aviary was built, your grandparents added a museum filled with pictures and exhibits to showcase the brilliant species of birds found in the Alola region.

You grew up with your grandparents—your mother and father both missing from your life—and therefore grew up with the Akala Avian Center. You were an energetic and curious child, running around the aviary and reveling in the beauty of the Oricorio or playing peekaboo with the Rowlet. When you were a little bit older, you helped out by sitting behind the information desk and discussing the conservation efforts of the aviary with visitors. By your mid-teenage years, you were helping to feed and take care of the birds. You had learned to love the bird Pokémon around you, following in your grandparents’ footsteps of developing a strong appreciation for wildlife conservation. (And you were perfectly content with that.)

When your grandfather passed away a month before you turned eighteen, you cried and mourned for weeks and weeks. He had been one of your role models (the other was your grandmother), and his absence created a gap within you, a blank space yearning for something to occupy it. To fill that hole, you became more and more involved at the aviary, diving deeper into research projects and working harder to take care of the birds in an effort to continue his legacy. But, when your grandmother died a year later, the gap widened. The aviary was left in your care and you became even _more_ dedicated to it, spending entire days there just to aggressively pore over field guides and books on avian biology and nervously pace around thousands of times to ensure that the birds were all doing well. This method worked for the first couple months, effectively distracting you from the growing hole within you. But soon, as the gap continued to widen, you became distraught. You were stuck on a neverending merry-go-round of despair and you couldn’t figure out how to get off of it.

Until, you found yourself standing at the cliffside one morning, next to the lighthouse, after giving up on trying to fall asleep. It was early, _much_ too early for anyone else to be awake, and your arms were folded on the wooden fence in front of you. Then, there was a glimmer, a sliver of light lining the horizon, right between the ocean and the sky. As the sun began to rise, you felt the weight of your grandparents’ passings lift off your shoulders and drift away with the early morning breeze.

It was a _new_ day. (It was time to _move on._ )

Ever since then, your mornings would always begin at Lighthouse Point with you watching the sunrise, looking forward as the light would usher on a new segment of your life, before making your way down the hill to unlock the aviary’s doors.

But, this morning is different: it’s the docks instead of the overlook, a suitcase instead of the keys to the aviary. A boat rocks gently in the water, waiting patiently to take you to the airport on Melemele Island, where your flight departs from. The ocean ripples quietly, creating a soothing melody, pressing against the boat’s salt-stained sides. It pushes and pulls, as if urging and beckoning you to get on the boat. “It’s time to go,” the waves seem to whisper. “You’re running out of time.” You ignore it (for now) and instead focus on a group of Magikarp jumping out of the water and flailing around in the distance.

Much of Konikoni City is still asleep, you note, as you turn away from the taunting ocean. Your eyes wander up to the pale early-morning sky and down to the wooden docks before landing on the dark-skinned boy standing nearby. Kiawe’s crossed arms hide the pendant of his necklace, but you can spot the small red beads peeking out. They glint in the little bit of light that illuminates the docks. When your gaze meets his, he gives you a small smile, a little bit of reassurance.

Suddenly, you’re falling into him and wrapping your arms tightly around his frame, holding onto him as if he is some kind of ghost that will disappear or slip away. He opens his arms to let you into his embrace.

The worry begins to seep in.

He’s assured you, at least a thousand times, that the aviary will be in good hands while you’re away. “I have the keys, and Alani _definitely_ knows what she’s doing,” he told you the day before, when you couldn’t push away the unease and distress. You were lying on the floor in your living room, staring intently at the ceiling fan, and muttering to yourself. He walked in as you were manically waving your hands in the air and conjuring up a list of what-ifs, cutting off your rambling with a calm “Everything will be fine.” And, though you step away from him still feeling a bit unsure, you know that you can trust him.

“Have fun out there,” are his last words, mumbled softly in your ear, before you step onto the boat.

The ship moves swiftly, cutting through the dark blue waters. You don’t bother to look back at Konikoni’s dock. (You fear that, if you _do_ , the worrying will consume you and you’ll end up cancelling the trip last minute.) Instead, you stand by the rail and observe the thin line of light on the horizon. And then, as the sun begins to rise, it drags out your favorite part of the morning with it. It reflects onto the water and you are immediately surrounded by the brilliant glow of dazzling color. It floods above and below you, saturated pinks and vibrant oranges spreading across the sky and the water. You stand in awe on the little boat, enveloped in color and suspended between planes of glorious light.

You wake before the sun, and come alive with the sunrise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the characters in this are older than they are in the games, so kiawe is about 24
> 
> _~~edited 23 december 2017~~ _
> 
> _edited 19 october 2018_


	3. unova

It’s late in the evening when you arrive at Castelia City’s bustling airport. You weave your way off the plane and through the terminal, careful to avoid rolling suitcases that could easily crush your sandal-clad feet. It’s noisy. The air fills with clicking heels, loud chatter, mutterings over the intercom. Your head pounds and your temples throb.

After picking up your luggage, you find a tall woman with light brown hair and a crisp white lab coat waiting for you. She waves and smiles as you approach. Her green eyes, full of energy and excitement, bring to mind another emerald-eyed girl.

Mallow helps to run her family restaurant, which sits right across the street from the aviary. You visit often, sometimes for the talk, sometimes for the relaxed atmosphere, always for the food. She’s running around the kitchen and dancing through the restaurant every time your stop by. It seems as though it’s all she ever does.

You always notice how her eyes light up when she’s cooking and making her own recipes, or when someone asks for a dish recommendation. It’s the same glimmer you see whenever she challenges you to a battle. She’s passionate about things like that.

The woman introduces herself as “Professor Aurea Juniper, the Pokémon professor here in Unova. And you must be Rina, it’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you,” you echo, shaking her hand, still groggy from the long flight and chaotic environment of the airport.

Stepping outside sends a huge wave of relief through your body. Less echo, less commotion, less stuffiness. Juniper helps to stick your suitcase in the trunk of her car, while you ungracefully drop your bag onto the back seat. You realize, half a second after, that it may not have been the best idea, considering the expensive electronics and delicate Pokéballs in the bag.

Glittering lights pass by as Juniper drives. You stare out the window in awe of the passing cityscape. With its tall skyscrapers and contemporary designs, Castelia is unlike any city or town in Alola. Tiny Iki Town pales to it. Even your hometown of Konikoni doesn’t stand a chance.

The lights blur and die down as you pass through streets and leave the city behind. Your eyelids flicker and shut.

Nuvema Town is more of what you’re used to. Small, residential, cozy. Juniper gives you a tour of the whole place when you wake (rather late, due to jet lag) the next morning. You’re a bit upset that you missed the sunrise, but you have six more days to catch it. Juniper’s given you a guest room at her lab, where you will stay for the week. You’ve already put your suitcase and your backpack by the foot of the bed and set up your laptop on the small desk by the window.

In the afternoon, you sit outside and let your Pokémon out in the backyard. They lounge around on green field, poking at the grass and resting under the bright sun. Emolga sits on your lap, munching on a bit of food.

She was your first Pokémon, a gift from your grandfather on your eighth birthday. He presented the Pokéball to you right after breakfast and recounted an entertaining story of how he ventured into a forest on Poni Island and came across a little flying squirrel that stole his apple. The Emolga quickly became one of your closest companions.

The sun attempts to lull you to sleep, but you fight it, using all your energy to keep your eyes open. The thought of “I need to do something to keep myself awake” jumps around your head. So, you pull out your phone, dial the familiar number, and wait, in hopes that a conversation will prevent you from falling asleep.

Kiawe picks up after one ring, and answers with an excited “Hey, Rina! What’s up?” to which you reply, “Just wanted to talk.”

He asks about Unova and your flight, Juniper’s lab and your plan for the next week. You tell him about Castelia’s soaring skyscrapers and the tumultuous airport, Nuvema’s glimmering harbor and your traveling ideas.

When you ask about the aviary, he reassures you that everything is doing fine, and that you shouldn’t be worrying. “You’re supposed to be traveling and having the time of your life,” he asserts. “Don’t dampen it by fretting over this one thing.” Then, he shifts the conversation to complaining about the Wingull spraying water at him. That makes you feel a bit better.

Juniper brings up the topic of Pokémon at dinner. “There are a lot of different Pokémon in the Unova region that you can’t find anywhere else,” she says. “I’m sure you’ll encounter quite a few bird species and many interesting flying types while you’re traveling.”

You leave the next morning, with your National Dex in hand and supplies in your backpack. You have everything you’ll need: Pokémon, Pokéballs, your journal, pens and pencils, a few sets of clothes, medicine, your phone, your computer. Juniper stands on the front doorstep of her lab and waves goodbye as you head away from the town. Just as you step onto the street, she calls out, “Good luck! Have fun!”

You turn back to wave and yell, “I will!”

• •

His name is Alder and he’s laughed at everything you’ve said to him. You’re not sure if it’s because you sound like an idiot, or if what’s coming out of your mouth is actually funny. Perhaps he’s just the comedic kind that laughs at anything and everything.

You’re strolling through Floccesy Town when you notice him—though, it’s hard not to. He towers above everyone else in the town, standing out with his bright-orange hair and string of Pokéballs dangling around his neck. When you introduce yourself to the former champion of the Unova region, he lets out a rumbling chortle and claps you on the back. You nearly fall over when he does so.

His voice is deep and booming, like Hala’s, and could carry on for miles and miles. Those on the other side of the world could hear him if he yelled loud enough. You wonder if Hala would get along with Alder. The two would likely make a great pair in Pokémon battles.

“So,” he starts as you’re sitting across from him at a table in a Pokémon center, “Rianna–”

“Rina,” you correct him, and he laughs, as expected.

“Rina,” he repeats, “where are you from?”

“Akala Island, in Alola,” you answer.

“Alola?” he muses. “Beautiful place. Never been, though.” He seems lost in thought for a while, daydreaming about the tropical climate and the lovely landscape, perhaps. He snaps back quickly to ask, “What brings you to Unova?”

You tell him about your aviary—the education, research, and conservation efforts—and the research trip you’re currently on. He listens intently as you tell him your plans, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips every time the word “travel” leaves your mouth and chuckling (of course) every so often.

“What will you do after?” he asks when you finish. “After you visit all the regions and collect your information? After you’ve finished all your research?”

It’s a simple question with an even simpler answer.

“Go back to Alola and my aviary,” you reply. Alder pauses, contemplating your words.

“Is that the goal?” he questions earnestly. “Does this journey culminate in your return home?”

You hesitate, unsure of what to say. Your mind is reeling, head spinning. His question seems so easy to answer—a “yes” or a “no”—but it perplexes you, baffles every fiber of your being. Instead of responding, you gape at the man sitting in front of you.

“Rianna,” he starts. You’re too lost and shocked to correct him. “traveling with a goal in mind is a commendable thing,” he explains with a wise smile and a twinkle in his eyes, “but I find enjoying the journey is important as well.” Then, almost ironically, he adds on, “Remember that.”

He challenges you to a Pokémon battle soon afterwards. You win, but barely, mind too focused on the advice he had given you just before the battle. Luckily, Skarmory pulls through in the last few minutes and leads your team to a win. His rumbling chuckle reverberates around you when he loses, and he calls you Rianna again when congratulating your victory. (You've given up on trying to correct him.)

You stay in the Pokémon center that night, lying awake and contemplating Alder’s words while staring at the ceiling. “Enjoying the journey is important as well,” sounds like something your grandmother would say. Something she’d embroider onto a pillow and put on the living room couch for guests to see. Some inspirational quote you’d find on a cheap poster picture of mountains in a tourist gift shop.

Tacky, a bit, but it makes you think.

You wake early the next morning, as usual, and leave the Pokémon center running off a few minutes of sleep and three cups of tea. When you step outside, you find the Unovan sunrise stretched out in front of you.

It’s pure gold. Golden rays sneaking out between the thin gold-tinted clouds, golden sun rising above the gold-lined horizon, golden sky stretching above you, golden light spreading across the ground. And, though unlike the colorful spectrum of the Alolan sunrise, it’s beautiful in its own way.

You stand there, frozen, for the next few minutes just to take it all in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> juniper is my mom, i love her
> 
> _26DEC17: edited_


	4. sinnoh

Salty ocean air breezes past as the taxi winds down the curvy streets of Sandgem Town. Outside, the afternoon sun dangles above, peeking out through the thin leaves of the trees. You pass by trees and bushes, houses and street signs. It reminds you a bit of Paniola Town, small and rural, but still bursting with life.

The driver drops you off right next to the beach, in front of a creaky iron gate and a neatly-built stone wall. Pushing the gate open, you find the cylindrical metal building and the red-brick windmill you’re looking for: Professor Rowan’s lab. You recognize it from the picture he sent before you left Alola.

As you knock on the lab’s front door, quiet squawking turns your gaze upwards, and you spot a flock of Wingull sailing through the bright blue sky. They land on the sandy coastline, pecking at the sand in search for food. They’re calm, peaceful, and not as noisy as the Wingull in Alola that like to terrorize tourists and natives alike.

A man with dark hair, a lab coat, and a yellow tie answers the door. He’s slightly startled when he first sees you, but quickly suppresses it with a wide smile and a cheerful “Hi! Welcome to Professor Rowan’s lab! Are you a new trainer?”

You gape at him.

“Uh, no,” you blurt out, “I’m just here to see Professor Rowan.”

The man opens his mouth to speak, but, before he can get a word out, a voice from inside the lab calls out, “Yuzo, just let her in.”

Yuzo, smiling sheepishly, steps aside to let you enter.

The interior of the building is neat and orderly: polished floors, shining tabletops, clean cabinets. The chairs and tables are perfectly aligned, arranged so that they match up with the lines of the floor tiles. Rowan sits at a desk on the left side, in front of a computer, fingers flying across his keyboard.

“Hello, Rina,” he addresses you without looking away from his screen.

“Hi, Professor Rowan,” you reply. “Are you busy? I can always come back–”

“No, no,” he cuts you off. “I’m just finishing up. Hold on…” he trails off, muttering something incoherent under his breath. You glance around before resorting to examining the little bit of dirt under your nails in an effort to stall time.

“There. All finished,” he declares, pushing the keyboard away and standing up to walk over to you. Extending a hand, he smiles, “It’s good to see you, Rina.”

“Good to see you, too, Professor,” you shake his hand.

“Oh! I wanted to give you something,” he exclaims, raising his pointer finger. He turns and walks back to his desk, bending over to shuffle around some papers, lifting a stack up and rifling through another. He mumbles to himself as he searches, but you only catch a few words, “Where did… put… maybe it’s…”

He straightens and pauses, says something to himself, then heads towards the stairs leading to the second floor. He calls out, “Wait one second, I’ll be back!”

A minute passes, then another, and another. Rowan has yet to return. You return to observing the dirt underneath your nails.

After ten minutes and a “Yuzo! Do you know where I put it?” Rowan returns with a pocket-sized book. It looks like a small dictionary or thesaurus, perhaps a collection of printed Pokédex entries. He hands it to you. “This should help you with your research.”

 _A Guide to Birds and Flying-Types of Sinnoh_ turns out to be a field guide of descriptive paragraphs and detailed illustrations. It holds everything you need to know.

You thank Rowan as you open the book to the first page. He smiles in return, then quickly turns to jot a note down on a piece of paper, muttering to himself. “Need… buy candy bars…”

• •

You’re standing on the beach when he approaches you. You had got out of bed rather early, nearly an hour before sunrise, startled awake by the nagging feeling of homesickness.

There’s no doubt about it: you miss Alola. Konikoni, the aviary, Kiawe—you wonder if you should call him, or if he’s even awake. (What is the time difference between Alola and Sinnoh?) Regardless, you ache for home.

Too restless to go back to sleep, you had dragged yourself outside and down to the beach in hopes of clearing your mind.

There, with your shoes cast off to the side, toes buried in the sand, you watch as the waves roll in and recede. The water pulls and pushes, the steady and calm rocking easing your tumultuous mind. You lose yourself in the ebb and flow of the tide.

The sandy coast is quite similar to Hano Beach, but smaller and lacking a fancy grand hotel right next to it. Though, the quiet rumble of the rolling waves seems to be a near duplicate of those at a Hano, and the sand feels just as soft. When you close your eyes, you’re back on Akala, standing on the beach with the Alolan sunrise in front.

Rowan’s voice snaps you back to Sinnoh.

“It’s quite early to be awake,” he notes. You turn your head to look at him. He looks the same as he always does: brown coat, white hair, kind smile. “What’s troubling you?”

You turn back to the ocean, watching as the dark blue waves ripple and push against each other. You sigh, “Homesickness, I guess.”

Rowan nods in understanding. He starts slowly, “I feel a thrill whenever I travel anywhere with my Pokémon. In fact, I feel a thrill whenever I’m with my Pokémon.”

The ocean water rolls in, bringing small shells and seaweed to the shore. Then, as quickly as it comes in, it pulls back, dragging the shells back into the water. You watch as the waves rock back and forth, back and forth.

He continues, “There’s a lot of things that can make you happy, no matter where you are. For me, it might be researching, Pokémon, and candy bars.” He pauses to chuckle, then adds, “When something that’s important isn’t there, focus on the other things.”

You’re silent as the words seep in.

“In other words,” he says, looking up at the navy blue fabric of sky, “what else makes you happy?”

Your response takes the form of a quiet sigh.

He leaves soon after and you’re alone, again, but not really. There’s the pervading question perched on your shoulder, waiting to be answered. You feel that if you don’t address it, it will surely burn a hole through your chest. And so, you ask yourself, “What else makes you happy?”

A gleam of light emerges from the horizon, climbing higher and higher with every second that passes. The sky fades bright orange, radiant and shining. It awakens your bones, widens your eyes, fills you with a newfound burst of energy. As the sun makes its ascent, you realize that there’s the joy you feel when you see the sunrise, the exhilaration of starting a new day. It’s always been there: in Alola, in Unova, and even here on the beach of Sandgem Town. It lifts your spirits, prepares you for the coming day, makes you feel alive.

You’re quick to put the pieces together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> epiphany number two
> 
> also, happy holidays!


	5. johto

“No offense, Falkner, but this is an awful terrible dreadful horrific idea. This is your worst idea ever.”

“Awful? Terrible? Whatever else you said? What do you mean it’s my worst idea? I fight all my challengers on the roof, every single one. No one has ever had a problem with it, and no one has ever gotten hurt. How is this a terrible idea?”

“Falkner,” you groan. “We are not having a battle on the roof of your gym. I refuse. There’s no point in doing so. Why can’t we have a battle inside the gym like _regular people_?”

Falkner scoffs, then crosses his arms and squints at you, as if trying to pry into your brain. He cocks an eyebrow when he finds what he’s looking for, “Being regular is boring—and, are you scared of heights?”

“No,” you answer sharply, defensively, while peering over the edge of the roof, assessing your surroundings. It’s a long distance from the top of the Violet City Gym, where you’re standing, to the ground down below. You gulp, clenching your hands into fists and holding yourself stiff to stop them from shaking. It’s not that high, you tell yourself, it’s not that high.

“You’re scared of heights,” Falkner states, studying the change in your facial expression when you realize how high up you are. “You are definitely scared of heights.”

“I’m not scared of heights,” you continue to insist, sending him an annoyed glare.

“Why choose to train flying-type Pokémon if you’re scared of heights?” he ponders the irony of your situation, ignoring your denial.

“Because I like flying-types, and I grew up with an aviary. And I already said, I’m not scared of heights. Stop saying that I am,” you retort.

Falkner looks at you pointedly, as if to say, “Yeah, right.”

“Well,” he starts, shrugging, not bothering to continue bickering about what your fears are, or rather, what your fears aren’t, “if you’re not scared of heights, then let’s have a battle.”

You hesitate, but, desperate to prove him wrong, send out your Skarmory as his Pidgeot takes its place on the other side of the roof.

You win the battle, but by then, your knees are shaking and your hands are clammy and you’re not sure how much longer you can stay standing on the roof of the gym without falling over—worse, falling off and crashing to the ground. Violet City might as well be the last stop on your trip.

“It’s difficult to be detached,” Falkner tells you after the two of you make your may back to the first floor of his gym. He sits you down on a couch (you’re still shaking a bit) and hands you a cup of water.

“I try to be detached,” he says, “y’know, because I train bird Pokémon and they seem pretty carefree. But, I think the only things holding me back are this gym and my dad. I inherited the gym from him. He went off on some fantastical trip to discover the world, kind of like what you’re doing now.”

“Has he come back to visit?” you ask.

“No,” his smile falters for a second, “I haven’t seen him since he left.”

The air between the two of you grows cold. You clear your throat, muster up a few words to diffuse the tension, “He sounds like a great person.”

And with that, Falkner’s grin returns, “Yeah, he is. He once told me, ‘Bird Pokémon don't just fly with their wings, they soar through the sky because that’s what they want to do with all their heart.’ That’s just like my dad. He’s out there somewhere, and he’s traveling about because it’s what he wants to do…”

He pauses.

“...with all his heart.”

• •

“It’s difficult to be detached.”

Falkner’s voice echoes in your head as you stand outside, relaxing in the early morning breeze of New Bark Town. It comes as, almost, a warning.

“It’s difficult to be detached.”

It’s in your nature, in everyone’s nature, to care about things, to depend on others. There’s always a connection: between you, your friends, your family, your Pokémon. So, when separation splits your ties, longing pulls them back together. As you near the midway point of your trip, you find yourself missing Alola more and more. Though you’ve traveled to three different regions and have seen amazing and wondrous things, you long for home.

Then Alder’s voice joins Falkner’s, “Enjoying the journey is important as well,” and soon Professor Rowan’s voice joins, too, “What else makes you happy?”

It’s still dark outside. You feel the sudden urge to talk to someone. Your phone screen lights up your surroundings as you dial his number.

The first thing Kiawe says when he picks up is, “You’re calling me more often than you usually do. Should I be concerned?”

“No,” you say. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Before you ask, the aviary is doing fine. Everything’s going smoothly. The Wingull sprayed water at me again this morning. They don’t seem to like me.”

“They can sense your preference for fire-types,” you laugh. “It’s a defense mechanism.” He chuckles at that.

Later—after you tell him about Falkner and battling on his roof (“Did you tell him you’re afraid of heights?” he asks, and you scowl), after he tells you that Mallow and Lana and Olivia send their regards, after the two of you converse in short stories and events—he says, “I’ll make sure to call you tomorrow. Is that good?” His voice is softer, seemingly more careful.

You reply with a quiet “Yeah, that’s fine.”

The glowing sun begins its daily ascent the moment you hang up. The sunrise is subtle, faded, not as flashy as the ones you’re used to, the ones you’ve seen. Dim pinks and washed out orange, like a timid watercolor painting, deep across the sky. It bleeds into the dark blues above, quickly blending into the light cerulean of the morning.

It’s comforting—assuring you that everything will turn out fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hecc yea it’s ap exam season and i am lazy + procrastinate = stress, but here’s this


End file.
